Gone 3 part story
by BAM Aesthetic
Summary: COMPLETE Based on my poem also entitled Gone. It is pretty corny, but hey, I had to do something to get back in my fic writing groove 8 Michi, TaiMimi, whatever you want to call it, but you know always to R&R:
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Based on the poem I had written which is also entitled "Gone".

"Mimi… I have something to tell you." His eyes were stern, and brimmed with moisture. This was the hardest thing he would ever have to do: let go of love. He shook his head. "I can't do this. I can't do this."

The floor was cold as he scurried to the restroom, in need of washing his face, which was warm with anxiety and fervor. Either that, or an upcoming, unsolicited fever. The water which he splashed scrappily onto his face was equally as cold, but it soothed him, being the only thing which could comfort him. After drying his face with a towel, probably one of the only things which weren't already packed into the reviled brown cardboard boxes, he made his way back into his room, where he continued practicing for the dreaded event which was soon to come.

"Ah… Mimi I have something I need to tell you," he continued after sitting himself on top of his bed, and wrapping his fingers on the handle of Hikari's mirror, which he had "borrowed" for his practice. "Blah. This is useless; I might as well say 'Mimi, it's not you, it's me.'" Taiichi checked the time, seeing that it read 2:20PM. He made a growling noise and laid on his back, closing his eyes. "This is not something I need."

His eyes opened suddenly, and he automatically looked at the clock, which read 4:45PM. After taking a few minutes to sober up, he jumped up in shock and dread. He realized he had fallen asleep, and would have to meet up with Mimi and 5:00. "Great," he thought to himself. "Now I have even less time to practice, though that wouldn't have done any good anyway."

He quickly changed and made his way out of the door, journeying to the park where they planned on meeting up, also known as: his demise.

The park wasn't so far away, so he was there just in time. He immediately spotted Mimi, looking beautiful as ever, wearing a salmon-pink dress, which he did not recognize thus instantly leading him to the conclusion that it was new. "God," he said, shaking his head to himself, "this complicates things even more."

Apparently Mimi had spotted him instantly as well, and once she saw him, her face brightened. She called out to him, and his spirits dwindled even more as he felt as though he was falling more in love, or falling in love all over again. She ran over to Taiichi, whom still had his head lowered, giddy after just the mere sight of him. After he raised his eyes to meet hers, however, she knew something unpleasant was bound to happen.

"Wow, Mimi, you look… beautiful," Taiichi whispered as a somber smile painted his lips. Mimi's blissful expression instantaneously converted into the complete opposite.

"Taiichi… what's wrong?" Her emotions had completely taken over her eyes, dressing them in worry. Taiichi's expression returned to that of his somber one, and he looked to the ground again. Once he was ready, he looked up again, eyes once again becoming excessively moisturized.

"Eh, Mimi, I don't think there's any way to ease this into the conversation, and I don't think I could handle it if I make this wait."

"Taiichi?" Mimi was panicked.

"I just want you to know that I love you, I really do."

"Taiichi?" A chuckle escaped her mouth out of disbelief.

"I-it's not my fault. It's _definitely _something I want to have to do." He was now sobbing distressfully.

"Taiichi just tell me you want to break up with me." Two streams made Mimi's cheeks glisten against the dim light of the park.

"I'm telling you… I don't want to. I-we… my family's moving." Taiichi's arms reached Mimi in an embrace, but she forcefully pushed him away. Her eyes were now bejeweled with tears, and it killed Taiichi to see her that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Based on the poem I had written which is also entitled "Gone". Also, I'll keep in mind that it's actually spelled "Taichi", though I'll keep it "Taiichi" so that it's consistent with the story.

Mimi's melodic laugh echoed into the phone, which sat in between her right shoulder and right ear. Taiichi occupied the other line. The only times she would laugh so much was when she was with him, and she could not remember any other event in her life when she was as happy as when he was present. He was, she now knew, the love of her life and she did not need anymore bliss than what she received from him.

"Hey, Mimi?" Taiichi had asked.

"Yeah?" answered Mimi, confirming her presence in the conversation.

"I need to tell you something…"

"Go ahead. Tell me." Mimi was oblivious to whatever Taiichi needed to say.

"I-um… I need to see you. I need to tell you in person."

"Oh," she said surprised, "all right. Later tonight?"

Taiichi had agreed, and they decided on meeting at the park at 5:00 that night.

"That had happened just twenty-four hours before now," Mimi thought to herself. She was alone in her room, with the door locked, and blinds closed. Her eyes were swollen and red, from crying so much. She hugged herself under the covers of her bed, surprised by a shiver, whose source was unknown. Amidst the silence echoing from her walls was her sniffling and hiccupping. She turned over on her side and glanced at the digital clock on her desk, and the numbers 5:13PM glared at her in red.

She glared at him, through streaming rivers, flowing from her eyes. Silence was what followed Taiichi's last statement, and during that statement, thoughts floated in and out of Mimi's head of how much she hated him at that moment. Minutes alongside more minutes passed, Taiichi fearing it, and Mimi soaking in the comfort she had from having abstained conversation. Finally, she decided it was time to break the silence.

"When?" she said softly, as though this simple syllable would bring poison to her lips. His face was screwed up in frustration, unknowing to whether or not he should say.

"Thursday." At the time, it was Tuesday.

"And you couldn't tell me before right now?" Each word spilled out more vicious than the last.

"I-it was sort of a last minute thing…-"

"And you couldn't have the decency to _warn_ me that something like this was going to happen?"

"Look, I didn't want you to feel bad…-"

"So you just decided to dump this on me now. You practically just lead me on! If we were going to end eventually, why not stop it while I still had time to fall out of love!"

"Look," snapped Taiichi, which had surprised Mimi, whom silenced at once. He couldn't bear shouting at her, even when he was angry, so his voice softened. "Just listen to me. It's not like I chose to move. It's something that I've tried to prevent, and all this time I didn't tell you because I was trying to stop it."

Mimi couldn't take anymore through her rage. She turned around and walked home, and Taiichi knew better than to follow.

Now, she lay in her bed, wondering what could have changed that conversation. If only he had had the decency to try to stop her. If only she hadn't snapped at him so quickly. If only he didn't have to _move_…

But this was all out of her power now, for she had taken that impulse decision to walk out of his life before he could walk out of hers, taking the grim reality of her solitude with her. Still, deep down in her heart she knew that she hadn't completely walked out of his life, only because of the fact that she loved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Based on the poem I had written which is also entitled "Gone". Haha, and I lied. 3 part story? Maybe 4. I have to change the title though, unless of course, I make it an epilogue.

After a day of moping, Mimi was able to successfully fall into slumber. Contemplating became too much for her, and the hurt she felt became much to overrated, for maybe about 5 minutes, where she would revert back to her poignant thoughts. She decided that sleeping would be the only way to escape, (other than death, but she felt that shouldn't be an option) and so there she was: asleep with nothing to disturb her but her cell phone, which rung beside her pillow, waking her up.

Drowsily and equally wearily, she groped the source of the ring to look for her phone. She flipped it open, without bothering to open her eyes.

"Hello?" she called inside the area which was designated to speech.

"Mimi. It's me, Taiichi… Don't hang up!" After a few seconds, he knew that he would continue to receive silence for a response, so he continued. "Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm leaving today. Probably in a couple of hours, but I want to see you before I leave."

He listened intently for an answer, or even the slightest sound, but received naught. "I know that you're mad, but I just need to see you one last time. I'll wait for you at you know where, and I know you won't answer, so I'll just hang up now. I'll see you later?"

There was yet again another pause as Taiichi waited for an improbable answer. His disappointed sigh was all she heard before the click of Taiichi's phone after he hung up.

Silence was all that Mimi encountered after this phone call, full of ambivalence born within her thoughts.

"I hate him. I hate him for leaving; I hate him for not telling me; I hate him for everything." Thoughts such as this quickly turned into the subsequent thoughts. "But I love him. I love him more than anything, and I can't lose him. Maybe if I see him…"

But no. She decided that it would be best for her to just stay put. Seeing him one last time would make the parting hurt even more. It was better that they ended things in anger.

But technically, they didn't end things at all. The strings were left unattended to, and even if they were tended to, this wasn't the way to end it. And so she decided that she needed to see him one last time.

Taiichi sat on a park bench, just waiting for anything to happen. He checked his watch; it had been seven hours since he had called Mimi. He shook his head and wrapped his coat around him even tighter. He leaned back and closed his eyes, planning to open them eventually…

He woke up with a start. He blinked his eyes and turned from side to side, continuing this motion, and rubbing his eyes for they had become quite blurry. It didn't occur to him right then and there, but beside him was Mimi. Once he realized it, she smiled at him. It wasn't a happy smile, but it wasn't a completely lugubrious smile. Just something of in between; bittersweet. It was an oxymoron of a smile.

"Hi," was all she could say.

"Hey." He groaned, stretching his arms after his nap. He finally became aware of the darkness of the park. "Oh, wow. What time is it?" he simultaneously checked his watch which read 5:23, which was approximately an hour and a half after he last checked his watch, then continued, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Oh, just about an hour or so."

"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you wake me up?" She turned to look at the sky and smiled, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Because you're beautiful asleep." She turned to him and giggled, "I didn't want to bother you, 'cause I'm considerate and corny." Taiichi smiled, putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to him.

"That's why I love you," he whispered, just quiet enough to be illegible.

"Hmm? What was that?" She asked, oblivious to the last comment. He pulled her in closer and chuckled.

"Nothing." He stood up, and she followed the leader. It was finally time for them to say goodbye, and both of their faces grew solemn as they turned to each other.

"So this is it, huh?" asked the forlorn boy, eyes filling up with tears for the fifth time in 72 hours.

"Yeah," said the girl, along with a sad smile and hesitant nod of her head.

"I'll try to visit." Taiichi took a step closer to her. She nodded again.

An awkward silence passed when finally Taiichi gave into his obvious desires and hugged her. Mimi wrapped her arms around him, tentatively at first, but becoming firm with her grasp, not wanting to let go of this jubilance, which she knew would be over in less than five minutes. She raised her head from his shoulder, and looked at him with a sudden longing that was utterly foreign to himself. Taiichi returned her gaze, both equal in yearning; Taiichi kissed her forehead and they both soaked in the perfection of the idea of togetherness.

Taiichi soon lifted his lips from her forehead, quite remorsefully. Naught a word was spoken when Mimi suddenly lifted up her own lips to his, fulfilling a desire that was both of their firsts. This was an equally foreign act for the two, and though the way their lips touched was awkward, they felt comfort with it for together they had shared a moment worth remembering. They parted yet again and a penitent sigh escaped the girl's mouth.

"I guess… this is goodbye," said Taiichi, finally. The girl shook her head, tears continuing to mark their territory on her face.

"N-no. Don't say goodbye. I-I love you."

"Mimi, I love you." He slipped a wrinkled piece of paper into her hands, which she complied to take. He slowly turned around to walk away, turning his head away from her.

"No," she cried to herself, trying to grab at him, wanting more than these few seconds with him. He continued to walk away, failing to look back because, she knew just as well as he did, if he were to turn around and see Mimi crying for him to return, he would not have the strength to continue at his stride.

Mimi was sobbing at this point, and sat in a fetal position on the ground, note in hand.


	4. Part II: Chapter 4

Part Two

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Based on the poem I had written which is also entitled "Gone". Yes, I know, finally she's updated. Well, I've decided that, since people actually like this fic, I should continue it. Muahaha. Why make a good story go to waste, no? So, new twist, and this takes place in Mimi's junior year and Taiichi's senior year of college. (Gah, I'm not quite sure of the age difference anymore 'cause it's been a while since I've watched Digimon…) Much thanks to all those who reviewed, and thanks to Angel and KoumiLoccness for giving me a bit of inspiration for this continuation. (Actually, all the reviews inspired me, but I'm ranting on now… so fanfic, hoh!)

Mimi,

So… this is goodbye, huh? I've never realized how fast it happened… Heh. I've always imagined us being forever_… Ironic how things turn out, no? Remember in English class? We were studying Romeo & Juliet? "Parting is such sweet sorrow…" I never knew that could mean anything at all to me until right now. The sorrow obviously outweighing the sweet, though. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I kept it from you. I didn't want anything to change between us while I was still here. I've tried so hard to stop this, but I just couldn't… I guess I can't be your hero after all. God, I'm going to miss you so much. _

I'm sorry I couldn't keep you in my arms forever. I'm sorry I have to be the one to let you down. I'm sorry: I can't write anymore, 'cause I realized it will hurt you even more, reading this, when we've already parted. Just… be happy. Don't let me keep you behind. Do all it takes… and try not to entertain my memory, because I'll understand how it hurts when I entertain yours. I'm such a hypocrite. Heh… well, I guess I'd better stop writing now, like I said I would. What else is there left to say?

Oh, yeah.

I love you.

Taiichi

The edges were torn, and the paper worn thin from the repeated folding and unfolding. She smoothed it out, re-reading the sacred words over and over again, though it was practically imprinted in her mind; the words, she knew, were imprinted in her soul. "Parting is such sweet sorrow…" She always whispered this to herself, knowing just how true it was. What they shared was magical and envious to those all around them, and this goodbye… Everything just seemed for nothing.

But it was okay now. Mimi smiled shyly as she put the note in her pocket, and the content in her hand was replaced by that of Yamato's hand. His beautiful eyes entrancing her, and making everything better. It had been years since Taiichi had moved away, and after all that time, she finally moved on.

Yamato was a decent person; she'd known him for as long as she had known Taiichi, and after Taiichi left, they had gotten closer as friends. He was there for her, to comfort her and to hold her when she was down, but it was never his intention to replace him. Their relationship was always inevitable, though Yamato knew just as well as she that Taiichi would never be replaced in her heart. A first love, after all, is never replaced. She never knew if Yamato ever got jealous of Taiichi, him being an important part of who Mimi was and whatnot, because he hid what was necessary well. He never wanted Mimi to worry, though Mimi knew that deep inside, she worried even more about this lack of communication.

She couldn't help thinking Taiichi would have done more…

"Hey, Mimi, did Sora tell you yet?" Yamato said, abnormally anxious, as Mimi enlaced her fingers with his own. She looked up at him surprised, unable to make eye-contact.

"Tell me what?" He shook his head muttering the words "never mind" softly, though loud enough for Mimi to hear. Her head filled with questions, but she'd rather keep them to herself than to force Yamato into telling her. She didn't want to pry because she trusted him, and if it was something important, or if Yamato wanted her to know whatever was on his mind, she knew in her soul that he would tell her.

And so, they continued walking around the high school campus, in anticipation of their first class. The direction in which they were headed was to Mimi's first period because Yamato typically walk her to class, for his class wasn't so far away from hers. Her class would be her Language class (she was taking Spanish), and his class was Physical Education. It was atypical, however, how a stranger happened to accidentally bump into her. Mimi's books fell free from her hands and onto the ground. Yamato, for some reason, went silent, as Mimi and the stranger both fell to the floor to pick up her books.

As the two descended to the floor to pick up Mimi's books, neither realized what exactly was happening. They both had failed to realize what exactly was happening, and were equally oblivious to whom the other was until they lay eyes on the each other. This did not happen at once, however. It wasn't until their hands brushed against each other as they reached for the same book, and that the stranger spoke to her, uttering a sincere apology with a recognizable voice, that they thought to look up at one another.

At the slightest examination of each other's face did they realize that the features were those of the people they thought unforgettable, and reason for Yamato's peculiar silence was realized.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Oh man, I'm such a procrastinator. But alas! I've found the decency to continue, though I am quite sleepy right now, there's school tomorrow, and a dance the next day! Lordy, lordy, lordy. Anyways, I've made the stranger completely obvious, but whatever. Fanfic HO! (Ho? Hoh? Ehh, whatever. XD)

"Taiichi." It wasn't a question because Mimi knew exactly who the stranger was, with no need for confirmation. Yes, it was Taiichi, that she knew, but what she wanted to know was why he was there.

"H-hey, there," was all Taiichi managed to stammer out. He studied her: how her hair never fell down in the same place on the contours of her face, but she still ended up looking beautiful anyway, just like before. He also studied how she was a reality, and not at all a delusion.

Mimi didn't bother to look up, because she was scared to look Taiichi in the eyes; she could feel his stare. She cleared her throat, afraid that when she spoke, she would be too surprised to create any sounds. "H-how have you been? We haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been good. Not as good as I could've been if we were still…" Taiichi stopped himself just as soon as the tension built up. He cautioned himself to avoid the awkward subject because it was just too early in their "reunion" to be talking about how he moved, and it was stupid to build up tension again in what was barely a conversation. "So how are you?"

"I've been great." Mimi smiled. Still trying to avert Taiichi's gaze, she glanced at Yamato with a hint of both regret and sorrow in her eyes. She looked back down to her feet. "A-anyways, I've got to get to class."

Mimi finally looked up at Taiichi with what would have been her parting words, and she felt a longing that she hadn't felt for ages. She felt drawn to him, and he fascinated her as equally as he had before. The two of them remained silent, and merely stared at each other, and neither made another move.

Yamato stood aside, quiet as ever, for the situation was quite awkward for him. He knew that the girl of his dreams, whom he had only been able to have once his best friend had gone, was slowly drifting away from him right before his eyes, and he was powerless to stop her. The boy who had been best friend, and his girl friend were the two people he cared about most, yet he knew that to them, he was only second after one another. With one last glance at the two, equivalent to Taiichi's longing glance at Mimi blended with the similarities to Mimi's remorseful glance at Taiichi, Yamato walked away to his class, unaware to whether or not the two noticed if he'd gone.

Later that night, Taiichi was not-so-sound-asleep in his bed. He was actually quite the opposite of this: he was restless, and could not sleep even no matter how hard he tried. It was ironic that it was in this same bed that he awoke, ignorant to the fact that today would be the day that he would be reunited with his first love, Mimi. It was quite gruesome, actually. He hadn't known that his best friend, Yamato, was in love with the same girl that he was in love with.

"Eh…heh. It must've slipped my mind, I guess."

That was what Sora said. She said it while observing her feet, which practically gave her lie away. Taiichi turned from his side-ways position so that he was facing the ceiling. There was a window in his room, and the shadows penetrating the room danced on the opposing wall, adorned with light from the moon. He sighed when he realized that he was still in love. It was no secret, though. Ever since Mimi, he had only gone out with one girl, and their relationship only lasted a few days. One reason that this relationship was cut short was because Taiichi couldn't handle being with someone other than Mimi, while the other reason was that Taiichi had accidentally called Michiko, his current girlfriend at the time, "Mimi." All hail subconscious desires forcing their way through irrelevant words of the unsuspecting victim. Sarcastically, that's how Taiichi felt at the time, anyway.

Morning's return was exposed through the disappearance of all the dancing shadows, and by the piercing ring of Taiichi's alarm clock. Feeling a bit like an insomniac, for he was that night, he was almost tempted to press the snooze button, but felt a sort of "motivation" to go to school that morning. He stood up to get something to eat when it dawned on him: he had seen Mimi yesterday, after an eternity of not.

And she was going out with who was his best friend way back when. Taiichi groaned and mumbled his negative thoughts aloud to himself. "You had your chance…not your fault…family…moving…" All throughout the internal affliction going on in his mind, he knew that deep down he was ecstatic and completely excited about school today. It had been a week since he helped his family move back to his hometown, and only the second day since he had started school again, but he never felt so alive in a while, and he remembered quite well that the last he felt this alive . Though the conversation contained nothing but small talk, he could still feel the chemistry, and could still feel the energy drawing them near each other. They were still vulnerable to the spell that had been cast on them so long ago, and that spell had revisited yesterday. Taiichi regretted so much that the spell was broken by the startling ring of the late bell, because he felt as though he could look into her eyes for an eternity and never get tired of her beauty.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: I admit, I can be such a romantic at times, and boy-oh-boy Chapter 5 was one of those times. And Chapter 4, Chapter 3, Chapter 2, Chapter 1... -;; Yet boy-oh-boy do I love this fanfic. I think this is my favorite out of all that I've written so far because I've used the best grammar that I ever have used in a fanfiction. I just hope I continue because summer deprived me of correct grammar and vocabulary so far T-T Continuing this fanfic is just what I need to keep my writing skills from dwindling. (Ack! I almost forgot how to spell "dwindling." That's how bad I've become!)

P.S. I know, I know -- It's finally up! It took long enough, right? XD Well… enjoy -

"Hey, Yamato, are you feeling alright?" It was after school and Yamato was extremely quiet, which Mimi finally noticed while he was walking her home. He simply shrugged, and it dawned on her that it must be so awkward that Taiichi was back, especially for her and especially for Yamato. "Does this have anything to do with Taiichi being back?"

Yamato shook his head and attempted to smile at his beloved. However, his smile was nothing more than a grimace. Turning that frown upside down was impossible at this point, since Mimi had mentioned Taiichi. Yamato had no clue what she could be thinking about, and that bothered him. Mimi stopped walking.

"You're lying."

Yamato stopped as well, and sighed. "We haven't seen the guy in ages. I know you, of all people, would want to, you know, hang out with him sometime. And I think you should." His mind continued where his words left off: "I need to know if you still love him." Mimi was nonetheless taken aback, even with his unfinished statement.

"I-I don't think I'm ready to." Yamato's eyes were firmly directed at Mimi's; her eyes were trying not to concede to his stare.

Mimi might not have been ready, but her reunion with Taiichi was inevitably scheduled later on, when Taiichi made a surprise visit to Mimi. Mimi doubted that he was any more ready than she was, however.

Mimi was in her room, under the covers just like that day years ago when Taiichi first walked out of her life. She just lay there thinking, oblivious to the fact that Taiichi was walking to her house at the time. She didn't dare tell her parents that he was back; they knew how much she loved him, and felt her pain throughout her prolonged ordeal, days and weeks after Taiichi left. She had no clue how they would react to her news. So, she lay there while her oblivious parents went about with their diurnal activities.

The door bell rang, startling the otherwise silence in Mimi's room. She heard her mother walk towards the door, in scurrying little steps, and Mimi only hoped it wasn't Yamato. Her expectations could not be any more wrong: she heard her mother open the door and expected her cheery voice greeting "Hello" to the visitor, however as soon as her mother opened the door, an awkward silence passed throughout the house, and each person outside Mimi's bedroom just stopped what they were doing. A shiver went up Mimi's spine as her mother finally spoke after a few seconds of more silence.

"Hello, Taiichi," she said stiffly, apparently unsure about whether or not she should be happy for her daughter, or instead hold cold indifference for the boy who broke her daughter's heart, unintentionally, of course. She never really hated Taiichi for leaving her daughter because she knew that it was beyond his powers to stay; he was just a child and could not force his parents to stay.

"He-hello, Mrs. Tachikawa." Taiichi's voice wavered in anxiety, saddened at the bitter welcome he received, but determined to make amends. His voice grew slightly stronger and slightly happier.

"H-how have you been? I haven't seen you in years, and you still look young as ever. I really missed this place."

Mrs. Tachikawa smiled slightly, warmed by the fact that Taiichi had not changed. She spoke in warmer words and embraced Taiichi as if he were her own child. "Oh, Taiichi. We missed you around here. When did you get back? Does Mimi know you're here? Mimi was absolutely devastated you know."

At the mention of Mimi, both Mrs. Tachikawa and Taiichi had felt a few degrees less happy. By the last sentence, Mrs. Tachikawa had released Taiichi, and spoke in what was almost a whisper. Mimi, however, could hear every word from inside her bedroom.

"Y-yeah. I could say the same for myself," Taiichi replied. In a quieter voice he added, "_completely devastated._"

Mimi heard this last part and had to choke back a sob. Silence had overwhelmed her room; she was now completely still, barely remembering to breathe, though when she did, her bed creaked a little beneath her. She had just realized how much she missed Taiichi, and how much she needed to see him. She slowly crept out of her bed, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and fixed herself up as well as she could, with the dim light. She was still dressed in the clothes she wore earlier that day, and as she slowly walked out the door, she blocked the sudden burst of light from her eyes.

Taiichi's head sprung up in shock, for Mrs. Tachikawa had offered him a seat on one of their sofas. He didn't know whether or not he should be relieved at the sight of Mimi, though he knew for a fact that he was truly happy by merely being near her.

"Hi, Taiichi."

The awkward silence that followed Mimi's not-so-grand entrance was finally broken. Taiichi, however, continued to scrutinize everything that was the epitome of Mimi: she wore her trademark salmon-pink dress, and her hair was down and not as messy as it could've been if she had just met with Taiichi as soon as she got out of bed. A small smile traced her lips after she had finished addressing the boy opposite her.

"H-hey there, Mimi." Taiichi warmly smiled back. Mrs. Tachikawa looked at either and realized what should happen.

"Well… you two need some catching up to do, huh? Taiichi, it was nice seeing you again. I'll leave you two alone now." Mrs. Tachikawa tried to smile happily, but her eyes showed the empathy she had felt for Mimi, which was returning from so long ago. She walked into the kitchen, leaving the two sitting opposite each other in opposing couches across a coffee table in the living room.

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere?" Mimi asked, breaking a second interim of silence. She was looking down at her hands on her lap, gaining composure and courage, though smiling to herself all the while she spoke. This caught Taiichi by surprise yet again.

"Um… sure. Where did you have in mind?"

"Come on." Mimi got up and hesitantly took Taiichi by the hand. She called out to her mother that she would be leaving with Taiichi, and her mother agreed to it. On the way to their destination, Mimi let go of his hand and instead wrapped her arm around his.

"Oh, I know where we're going now," Taiichi thought to himself as he and Mimi walked down the route he was rapidly recalling. It was not very long until they found themselves arm-in-arm in the exact same place in which they separated.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Whew, this feels kind of good. Relieving. Awesome. Wonderful. Yes, success! I've continued, yet again! I really should stop stopping…? Did that make sense? Well anyways, I can't wait until I get to the chapter after this one because I'm planning on a not-so-unexpected twist. I think it's kind of cliché, but why not take that turn, you know?

Oh yeah, by the way... I did NOT know that you could reply to reviews /)- I think I should, starting this chapter because it's kind of... late to reply to the other ones XD Like... months and years and ages too late. Soo... fanfic-ho!

The irony of it all was that they sat in the same exact places they sat when they had last met at this park on this bench. Mimi smiled solemnly to herself as she and Taiichi sat together, as similar to "old times" as it could have been. Taiichi continued to incessantly observe her; it was as though he felt like he had to make up for all the time he lost away from her.

"You were crying." He said it matter-of-factly, with just the right amount of sympathy, worry, and carelessness. He knew that Mimi would not want to focus on her crying, but he also knew that she would want to hear at least some compassion. Mimi looked up at him, surprised at what he said, and slightly embarrassed because the way he spoke was perfection.

"What?"

"You were crying," he repeated. She looked at him confused and he continued. "It's because your eyes are still red… Not to mention the fact that I'm here." She looked at him with a tinge of respect. Despite the years they had spent apart, he could still read her like a book.

"That's not true," she said. He had been looking up at the sky. It was already dark out and there were a few stars in the sky.

"Oh, really? It's all right, I won't get mad." Taiichi smiled at her, mischievously. She playfully punched him in the shoulder in return.

"Fine, it's all your fault so now you need to make up for it."

"So hitting me isn't enough for you anymore, huh?" He laughed, and so did she. She stopped before he did though, and hesitated before speaking again.

"I missed you so much, you know," she whispered, suddenly finding her dress quite amusing.

"I hoped for as much," Taiichi said turning his attention back to the stars. "I missed you, too."

"I figured as much," Mimi replied, giggling. She glanced sideways at the boy, who was laughing, and smiled to herself again. Mimi was worried when he suddenly stopped laughing, though, and a grim expression appeared on his face.

"So you and Yamato, huh?" She stayed quiet and he continued, "I'm happy for you guys. Yamato's my friend and he's a great guy, and you're my friend…-"

Taiichi grimaced as he said this and Mimi flinched, but he felt a need to continue or else the awkwardness would suffice in the rest of the conversation.

"-and you are a wonderful, beautiful person."

"Thank you" was all Mimi could muster up.

"I hope you're happy with him. Wait, let me rephrase that, 'I know that you are happy with him.'" Mimi nodded in agreement. "But that doesn't mean that we can't be friends again."

Mimi grinned. "Of course not. In fact, seeing as how you still know me after all this time, I think that you have clearly earned the best friend role."

"Awesome. That's how it should be." Both knew the levels of their disappointment when they spoke of being merely friends, but it had to be that way considering Mimi and Yamato's serious relationship. They decided that it was all right to hang around each other and go on outings as friends, so starting the next they at school, they were as inseparable as friends could get. Just friends.

"Hey, wait up, Yamato!" Mimi was running after her boyfriend, happy after the night's events. It was lunch-time, and she and Taiichi had agreed that she should spend it with Yamato. "Where are you going?"

Yamato stopped and looked back at her. "Oh... nowhere. Just felt like walking around. You don't have to come... really." He added the last bit to emphasize how unnecessary it was for her. She surprised him with a smile however.

"But I want to come with you." He melted inside, feeling unable to resist the words of the girl he loved, but knowing that he had to.

"No, it's fine. I actually feel like being alone right now."

"Oh," was all Mimi was able to say, disappointed. "Alright then. I'll talk to you later...?"

"Yeah, sure." Then Yamato silently, and not to mention slowly, walked away. Mimi turned away as well, and walked back to where she came from, somehow running into Taiichi as they both turned a corner.

"Whoa, there. Where are you headed off to?" Taiichi smiled, unaware of the girl's disappointment. She lifted her head, and his smile melted away into a look of worry as he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, jeez, are you okay?" He grabbed her shoulders and tried making eye contact, though failing as Mimi continually avoided his gaze. She shook her head in response to his question, and he quickly took her into his arms. There was soon a plethora of kids walking past them, so Taiichi quickly led her to a more secluded area in the grass.

Taiichi sat Mimi down on a clean area, and he sat himself down in front of her. He let her cry to herself for a while, and waited until the tears subsided a bit before attempting to talk to her again.

"What happened?" She shook her head, sobbing silently. He asked again, and received the same response. He took a different approach. "Why not?" She looked up and their eyes met for the first time during this encounter.

"Because you'll think it's your fault... but it's not." Taiichi was shocked at this, and could therefore not be able to pursue the answers he sought from her. After a few seconds of silence, she looked back down, fully cured of her sobs while he was still paralyzed.

"How would you know if I would think that? Do _you_ think it's my fault?" Taiichi spoke quietly. Mimi looked up again, and she was the one paralyzed in shock this time.

"N-no," she stuttered. "It's just that... Yamato." Realization dawned upon the boy; realization of why Mimi thought he would think it was his fault, realization about why she was crying in the first place. But what was Yamato's problem? Was he jealous? Insecure?

"What about Yamato?"

"He's been so secretive lately, and he doesn't want me to be with him. Like, today for instance, he was heading off somewhere, and I wanted to come with him, but he told me he wanted to be alone. And I don't think this is a one time thing. This will probably last a while."

"Don't doubt him. He probably just needs time to adjust to... the changes around here." Taiichi concluded, trying to comfort her as well as himself with the thought. Mimi was right, he did feel slightly guilty for whatever negative things happen with Mimi and Yamato. They were his best friends, after all. He took her into his arms again, for she had once again started crying. "Hopefully," he thought, "hopefully everything turns out okay."

The two, whom were now rocking back and forth as the boy continued to comfort the girl, didn't notice a red-headed girl watching them. They didn't notice the girl who stood up from the bench near the grass, and they didn't notice as she hurried away, tears forming in her eyes.

"Where's Yamato?"


	8. Part III: Chapter 8

Part Three

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: Yikes, last part of the whole 3-part story. I'm so proud! I might actually finish this one. LOL. It was about time I broke that never-finish-a-thing streak. Well... Yay for me, the ending of chapter 7 put me into a writer's block. It seemed like a really good turn-of-events for the final part, but... I lost my inspiration. LOL. Well, anyways... Onward!

Sora Takenouchi was in the same grade as both Yamato and Taiichi. She was Mimi's best friend and had been there, practically watching everything that happened, from the break-up to Taiichi's return. She had been there through everything, but what surprised her the most was how Mimi started going out with Yamato after Taiichi had left. And why was this you ask? Well, Sora liked Yamato. Mimi's such a bad friend, you might think, but Sora really brought this upon herself. She had never told Mimi that she liked Yamato; she had kept it to herself despite their close friendship, and now that Mimi and Yamato were going out, she regretted not telling her because she knew that if Mimi knew, she wouldn't have done anything to hurt her best friend.

But now Taiichi had come back into the picture, and though this might have seemed like a good opportunity for Sora to "get the guy", she didn't want Yamato to get hurt.

And now to get back to the story...

Sora had just seen Taiichi and Mimi together; she was crying and he was comforting her. _But where was Yamato?_

"How could she?" the red-headed girl thought as she ran, eyes burning from holding back the tears. "How could she hurt Yamato like this? Just because Taiichi comes back... It seems as though all her feelings for Yamato were fake! He doesn't deserve that..."

Suddenly, Sora caught a glimpse of the blonde-haired boy, walking around the corner of another one of the school's buildings. She quickly followed and she just as quickly halted to a stop once she turned the corner as well. Yamato was leaning against the building, eyes turned upward, looking at the sky. He sighed, not knowing that Sora was right there, but he quickly acknowledged her presence once he caught a glimpse of her through the corner of his eye. Three cheers for peripheral vision. He turned his head toward her and smiled a somber smile.

"Hey, Sora."

Sora couldn't hold it in any longer. Yamato seemed so miserable; everyone just seemed so miserable. And tear after tear escaped concomitantly to Sora's equally distressing sobs. Yamato's eyes widened, manifesting his shock, and he hesitantly took her into his arms, not knowing what to do. He patted her back comfortingly.

"Yamato," she gasped in between sobs. And he continued to hold her and keep her safe until her sobs died down.

"What's wrong?" he said softly, after he was pretty positive that she wouldn't break out into tears again.

"It'll sound stupid," Sora said as she shook her head. They both sat down, side-by-side, backs against the wall of the building.

"No it won't. I promise. What's wrong?"

Sora, who was looking at the ground, slowly lifted her head so her eyes met Yamato's, which were staring at her intently. She quickly looked back down, slightly flustered, before answering. "I was crying for you."

"Don't pity me," Yamato said darkly after a bit of silence. It was his turn to stare at the ground.

"I wasn't pitying you. It was... Well, it was more of disappointment in Mimi for how she's treating you. She hasn't been acting like how she was before... Taiichi..."

"That sure does sound like pity."

"It's _not_!" Sora pleaded, tears forming in her eyes again. An awkward silence passed before Sora regained her composure, took a deep breath, and started over. "What I mean to say is... Yamato, I like you."

It took a while before Yamato could comprehend this, and again his eyes widened in shock. He turned his averted his attention away from the ground and to Sora. "What?"

"Nevermind," Sora said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

"You... like me?"

She didn't feel comfortable talking anymore, so she simply nodded again.

"Since when?"

She shrugged because she knew that even if she tried, her mouth would betray her and she wouldn't be able to speak. Yamato just sighed. Another awkward silence passed before Sora decided to speak again.

"...I'm sorry," she whispered. Yamato was clearly startled.

"You shouldn't be," he replied, his voice soothing. "In fact, _I_ should be the one who's sorry."

Sora looked up at him, eyes ready to glisten with hidden tears once more.

"I... I can't return your feelings. I don't know if I can. I love Mimi...-"

"-but she loves Taiichi-"

"-and even though she may not care for me as much as I care for her, I still can't help but-"

"-love her."

Sora sniffed, and sighed softly. "Yeah, I guess that pretty much sums up you and me, too, huh?"

They smiled at each other, and cue the inevitable hug here. Sora didn't know whether or not to take it as a pity hug, sympathy hug, or a genuine friend hug, but she embraced it all the same. She had finally revealed to him her true feelings, and he in turn told him how he felt, so there were no loose ends. That is, until...

"Y-Yamato."

And lo-and-behold! Mimi Tachikawa was standing before them, tears streaming down her cheeks. Of all the times during Sora and Yamato's encounter, Mimi chose this particular moment to find them, hugging... But Taiichi was behind her. She turned around, paused as she looked up at him and quickly walked past him, quickening her pace.

"Mi...Mimi!" Yamato and Taiichi yelled out in unison. Taiichi glanced at Yamato, and you could see indifference lingering in his eyes, and he quickly ran after Mimi. Yamato started pacing in the confined area of an invisible box he seemed to be trapped in. After running his hand through his hair a few times out of frustration, he groaned. He took a last look at sorry, eyes pleading for forgiveness and this was why: he ran after Taiichi and Mimi, leaving Sora to cry softly to herself, watching as everyone she thought was close to her left her behind.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon.

A/N: LOL. I thought that the last chapter was kind of short (maybe because I changed the font size...) But when I uploaded it I was like... OO WOW. It's perfect. Well, anyways it's time to continue the story 'cause it's going to end ;; I'm finally going to finish something! Am I proud? Yes, I sure am. You should be, too... Just kidding.

Mimi nor Taiichi were in sight when Yamato finally emerged from behind the building. He sighed and ran into the school, which was still empty for it was still lunch time.

--

"Mimi! Mimi, wait," Taiichi said, still chasing after Mimi. The girl, he realized, could seriously run. It was somewhat awkward passing by his peers outside the school building; he could feel their confused and curious stares looking at both him and the crying girl running in front of him. Mimi took a sudden left turn into an empty classroom, causing Taiichi to run past the classroom and making it necessary for him to backtrack. He slowed down and walked inside the classroom, closing the door behind him. Mimi was standing in front of the window, looking down at the crowd of students below, eating and talking cheerfully, oblivious to the drama going on between Sora, Yamato, Taiichi, and herself.

He was about to stand himself next to her, but thought better and seated himself in an empty chair a fair distance away from her. He stared at her with his chin on his palm, elbow on desk. Her sobs soon subsided and she turned to find him staring at her. Not smiling, not frowning, just staring. She walked to the seat next to his and he watched her still.

"I don't blame him," she whispered, looking down on the desk in front of her. She looked up to him and added, "I can't blame him if he cheated on me physically, because I haven't been too devoted... emotionally."

She averted her attention back to the desk in front of her, shyly. Taiichi's eyes widened in shock at first, but he looked at _his_ desk, nodding his head.

"I don't even know why we thought this would work out," Mimi continued, still staring at the desk, which showed just as much emotion as she did at this point. "I mean, this whole you and me being friends thing? It's impossible, especially with our past."

"I know," Taiichi said.

Mimi sighed, clearly defeated. "So, now what?"

"Look," Taiichi started. "I know you don't want me to think so, but I _know _it's my fault.--"

"No, Taiichi...-"

"-Everything was fine until I came back. I know it, and you know it." Taiichi stood up and walked around to stand Mimi up in front of him. His hands gripped her arms firmly. Mimi just stood there, speechless; and who wouldn't be?

"I think," he continued, "that I need to step out of your life once and for all. I know that this whole walking out of your life thing is getting old, but you need it to be happy with Yamato."

Mimi looked down at the floor and nodded, not being able to deny a thing because that was the truth: as long as Taiichi was in the picture, Mimi would always have a bit of favoritism for him, and without him, that left her free to love Yamato to her fullest extent. The two both sensed the need for closure and so they simply hugged each other.

--

Meanwhile, Yamato was frantically running around the school: opening doors, peering inside, then closing them again once he found that they were empty... Or at least the inhabitants weren't exactly the people he was looking for. He was about to give up hope when finally, he came to room 139. He opened it quickly and found Taiichi and Mimi in a warm embrace inside, though as his timing would have it, he quickly misinterpreted it.

"Mimi..." It was hard for him to speak because he was panting at this point, having to run around the whole school looking for the pair. Also, the noise he made from opening the door contributed to directing the pair's attention towards the blonde.

"Yamato!" Mimi gasped, breaking free from Taiichi's embrace.

Silence.

Finally, Yamato groaned. "What am I even doing here?"

Mimi and Taiichi could do nothing but stare at him, surprised at this sudden breaking of the silence. Yamato seemed to sense their confusion, so he continued and elaborated.

"I mean, Taiichi," he turned to him as he said this, "you love Mimi."

Taiichi remained silent.

"And Mimi," he turned to her this time and continued while staring deeply into her eyes, "you still love Taiichi. You love him way more than you'll ever love me, so who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

He tried to force a smile, but failed with this act and ended up crying. He turned to the wall beside him and leaned forward, putting his forehead on his arm. Mimi slowly made her way towards him, and tentatively put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yamato..." she whispered. He turned his head so he could look at her face once more.

"You're not even going to deny it, are you?" This time he successfully gave a smile, solemn as it may have been. Mimi barely managed to shake her head; it almost looked as though she didn't do anything at all. "Heh, I figured as much. I guess part of me was just hoping that you would. I guess... a part of me was hoping that you still loved me." He rested his forehead on his arm again and murmured, "I guess not."

"You're right," Mimi said, suddenly. "I _do_ still love him... but that doesn't mean that I don't love you." Mimi took his head and turned it so he could look at her. Suddenly, she slapped him across his face with her right hand. "Don't you dare think that I don't love you. It's just that," Mimi said, tears forming in her eyes again, "the way I love you is different from how I love Taiichi. I can't explain it... but that's how I feel. When we were together I did love you; I _do_ love you, so don't you ever dare think that I don't."

Yamato stood there, shocked, with his hand against his face. Taiichi stood off to the side, equally shocked, knowing that he shouldn't get involved in _their_ closure. Mimi took Yamato's face again, and gently cupped it with her hands though this time she leaned in to kiss him rather than to slap him. Yamato took her hands and held them against his chest as he pulled away from their kiss. He shook his head, surprising Mimi a bit.

"No, don't do this," Yamato smiled, genuinely for once. "You don't need to pity me. I ... I actually have to go. There's someone waiting for me."

Yamato let go of her hands and quickly hugged her before turning to leave. But right before he fully exited the room, he turned back again, grabbing both sides of the doorway and said, "Taiichi, she's yours. You better treat her right." He winked at him, grinning, and started to run from the room.

"So, you slap him when he says he loves you, but you don't when you think he cheated on you?" Taiichi spoke for the first time since Mimi and Yamato's break up officially started. He shook his head, chuckling, as he said, "This girl."

Mimi looked at him curiously. He smiled in response and said, "I didn't want it to stay awkward after... _that._ I wanted to go straight to the making out part."

"Oh, jeez. I should slap _you._" They both laughed, and Mimi had to admit, Taiichi sure did know how to lighten up the mood. She quickly pecked him on the cheek and playfully said, "That's all you'll get," before skipping out the door. He muttered something along the lines of "fine" and followed her. At that moment, they both knew that they were officially back together. Finally.

--

Elsewhere, Sora was still sitting against the wall, crying to herself, when suddenly she heard a set of footsteps running towards her and slowing to a stop in front of her. She looked up and saw a pair of blue eyes and a head of blonde hair smiling at her. She gasped in surprise as he stood up and reached out his left hand out to her to help her up. She hesitantly took it with her right hand, while wiping her face with her left sleeve. He smiled at her again, and she eventually smiled back. Yamato took Sora into his arms as he had not so long before and nothing more was said; nothing more _had_ to be said because she knew that Yamato was sorry and as long as she was in his arms, then all was right in the world for once.

Finis.

--

FINALLY FINISHED:D Feedback would be appreciated...immensely. FIRST long-term story I ever finished. Jeeeeeez. Took me long enough :P Hope you guys liked it... even though I tend to rush my stories at the end ;; Anyways, watch out for my new stories (as well as updates for the current ones XD). Ahhh, it's going to be hard to let go of this story, but it was time. XD

Much thanks to: **Crescent-Wish-Forever** (The first :)**, Yasmine, flipstahhz, DarkMetalAngel of Destruction, goldfish demon, digilover, Angel, KoumiLoccness, Michi Fan, Kaye, sexayD, luvisgood, terri-ellelight, Vigatus, & JyouraKoumi**

Thanks for reading! Your support really motivated me to keep writing! I seriously mean it, I needed motivation to write, and motivation was all of you :P Hmm... I started this as Lil Pnay Skuld, and I'm ending it as BAM Aesthetic. Well... all that's left is another thanks for reading from LPS / BAM. Time for the cast party:)


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